I have the 14" 8 hole aluminum wheels on my Elan....want to upgrade to some turbine's or maybe some pony's later on...but for now i am going to deal with what i have....are any of you guys running big meaty 14's? I have seen 235/60r14 advertised and not sure how those will look...or even if it is worth it. Have 205/70's on now and they suck! Let me know what you guys think
What is the width on those wheels? That will really determine how wide you can go without distorting the contact patch on the tire.
Darren
Don't spend the money on 14" tires,go with the bigger wheels and tires.Wheels can be found super cheap (turbines,snowflakes,10 holes).
i runn 14 s on my mine 215 70 14 s 7 in wheels. were did u fine a 235-60 14 at. i bet there high as hell lol
i am going to say that they are 6 inches wide? I havent measured, but they are skinny. I know the 15's are cheap......but there arent many sets to be found here in the DC area....moving back to NC soon...maybe i will have better luck there. The 235/60's and i even found 245/60's online....80-90 a piece. have to have some meat in the rear....cant keep the wheels planted just driving around town.
You will pay less for any similar sized tire for a 15" rim. My local tire shops wanted $120 each for 195/70/14r. I think I am running 235/60/r15's right now. Basically a small truck tire, but my 5.0 is alittle bit tired. I think I paid $25 for four rims and $300 for the new tires mounted and balanced. It was actually cheaper to upgrade to the 15's.
I had 246/60R 14's on my first T-Bird (85), and it looked good (white letters and all). I had 14X6 aftermarket Cragar chrome wheels on it though. 235's will fit your stock wheels (I believe they are 14X6 as well) with no problems. You might get a bit of sidewall bulge, but IMO that will only make 'em look better.
As for the height, a 235/60R14 would actually be shorter than a stock 215/70R14. A 245 is slightly shorter as well.
I had some old mustang 14" alloys, they had 225 60 14's on them. They looked pretty good, I wouldnt go much, if any, wider. I would worry about handling/stability problems, just my 2 pennys.
http://www.onlinetires.com/user/vehicle/tires/allbrands.html
thanks for the opinions guys. Think im going to go ahead and find 2 more turbine wheels. Was just given 2 15" draglites and 2 turbines....maybe i will sell the draglites for 2 more turbines.
I would sell the turbines and keep the draglites. The turbines are a bitch to clean and don't look as nice as the draglites.
Darren
i dont like the draglites though.... too flashy.
I understand completely. I was just looking at the maintenance side of things. If you can wait for a set of ten holes I would as they are nice and easy to clean. I have a set but I think shipping would be higher than just being patient and finding some local.
Darren
honestly would rather have 4 donuts than the 10 hole wheels. but point well taken, i will wait until i find a nice set of 15's. hopefully i sooner than later.....these 14's roll over on themselves on any corner.
If you are still on the four lug setup you are pretty much limited as far as wheel selection goes. You could opt to go to a five lug setup which would open the door for wheel selection.
Darren
well i have decided to get a set of each and see what looks best for me. have the 8 holes.....have 2 turbines....just picked up a set of snowflakes....maybe i will buy 2 more turbines to match the 2 i have and then mount my drag tires on a set of 10 holes.......I am going for a "sleeper" look and dont want anything too "flashy"
Snowflakes are 16".
yeah..16's arent bad. Plus i got some police issue kevlar lined tires from the guy... near bulletproof! 225/60's and stiff as all hell.
The snowflakes have a inch more offset so they will sit in about a inch more. May want to mount up the ones you have to see if you like them. I had a set on my 1984 LTD LX and I liked the look. But to get the same tire height you have to go with a 245/50-16. I just sold a set with new tires for $350. The guy had a Turbo Coupe rear in a Mustang and needed a wheel with more offset.
I like the 10 hole wheels on the Thunderbird and you can get these for a pretty good price with tires if you wait. Just keep on checking Craigslist for Mustang wheels and something will pop up. I did not know where you live in VA, the second like looks like a very good deal to me.
http://richmond.craigslist.org/pts/1782294615.html
http://richmond.craigslist.org/pts/1768254704.html
I think your stock 14 inch wheels will be too narrow for a 225.
TED